Oh, my aching back, shoulder etc.

By KEVIN WEAKS

Work hard, play hard. If you do both, chances are you'll eventually get to know Dr. Steve Morton, orthopedic surgeon with Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Physicians Ltd.

YH: Ehich trades cause the most back problems?

Dr. Morton: From the patients that I see, much of the low back pain comes from healthcare workers trying to lift or move heavy patients.

YH: What are common ailments among workers?

Dr. Morton: I come in contact with carpenters, mechanics, and landscapers, and their most common problems would be should injuries; rotator cuff, tendonitis, bursitis types of injuries in the should associated with lifting, tugging, and pulling.

YH: What is the leading complaint you hear?

Dr. Morton: The most common complaint is pain with varying degrees of intensity and location. We are certainly seeing a lot more pain or complaints of pain from osteoarthritis. I am not sure if that is coming from a more active lifestyle, or if that is coming from a patient attempting weekend warrior types of activities.

YH: What is the biggest cause of lower back pain? Is arthritis a factor?

Dr. Morton: The biggest cause of low back pain is core instability. Low back pain can also be caused by herniated discs and lifting so much that you overcome ability to absorb the shock, so it ruptures causing impingement upon nerves, therefore causing low back pain and, potentially pain with numbnessand tingling down the legs.

YH: Is joint pain necessarily synonymous with osteoarthritis?

Dr. Morton: No, joint pain does not necessarily have to be with osteoarthritis, which is a wear-and-tear type of arthritis. You also have rheumatoid arthritis which is an autoimmune disease where the body is technically attacking itself. It could be infection causing joint pain and discomfort. So there are several reasons why a joint would hurt, not necessarily always osteoarthritis.

YH: We've heard people compain of a pain in sacroiliac. What is that?

Dr. Morton: The sacroiliac joint is where the pelvis and the sacrum or the keystone of the lower lumbar spine come together. Women are more likely to seek treatment for it than men. It is a fairly localized pain. You can certainly see it in runners and athletic type people as well as sedentary type people.

YH: What precautions do you advise for your patients?

Dr. Morton: If the most common complaint that I am going to see is from a weekend warrior, I would certainly take precautions; a good 20 to 40 minutes of stretchingprior to any activities and then certainly conditioning being core stability. Pilates is a good core type of exercise and yoga as well with core strength as well as flexiblity and balance. I think those really would be the key and staying within your means as far as your activity level. Women and men should take plenty of calcium and vitamin D. I don't think we get enough calcium and vitamin D in our diet and the vitamin D we would get from the sun is usually blocked by the sunscreens that we are using to prevent skin cancer.

Flexibility, mobility and strength will help protect your joints in the long term.

The single more preventative thing for osteoarthritis and the only true proven method to prevent the progression of osteoarthritis is weight reduction. For every one pound that you lose, four pounds of stress will come off of the knee, six times off of the hip and that would certainly be of benefit. If it is too painful to do exercise, you may waant to consider aquatic therapy where the water causes some buoancy and takes some of the pressure and stress off of the joints themselves.

For more information contact Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Physicians Ltd. at (618) 234-9884. The office is located at 4600 Memorial Drive next to Memorial Hospital in Belleville, Ill.

Contact Kevin Weaks at: kweaks@labortribune.com